This is the first video in the Happy Valley Phonics Book 2 series. This chant from Unit 1 places minimal pair p and b, plus the vowel a into a chant for sound and first letter identification practice, building on the Phonanimals Song and Phonics Book 1. First, do picture talk to see what students notice and can find in the picture. Then, have students listen to Track 3 and point to the words in the song. Next, watch this video and encourage students to say the sounds and words. Give student flashcards and when they hear the word or sound they can bring it to the front and put them in order on the board. Move on to the Let’s Chant sticker activity on p.3. Then, student can ask questions before moving to p4. Using What is it? they can ask about other objects in the picture, and then tell you if the word has the pba sounds in it. Break the sounds down for them. Students ask What is it? pointing to grass. Teacher responds Gr-a-ss. Can they hear the a? If they can’t, it’s OK; have them say the a sound and keep trying.

This is the first video in the Happy Valley Phonics Book 2 series. This chant from Unit 1 places minimal pair p and b, plus the vowel a into a chant for sound and first letter identification practice, building on the Phonanimals Song and Phonics Book 1. First, watch the Phonanimals Song video and do gestures. Then, watch this video and use gestures for the sounds and words. Use the free to download writing sheets on happyvalley.tv to start your child writing if they are ready for a quieter activity. Otherwise, pause the video with the three letters and objects showing and say p, b, or a. See if your child can draw the picture of the word with that sound. Then, have them say the word or sound and you touch the picture they drew that matches the sound or word they said.

This chant from Happy Valley Student Book 1, Unit 8, introduces the insects and animals found outside near ponds, rivers, and lakes. After Storytime, do this once without gestures and then again with the gestures. Follow that with the It’s a Chant and the It’s a Bee Chant and end with the track Is it a Frog?, which reinforces It’s a and gives practice with the target language Is it a…? Play Get the Teacher from page 13 of the free-to-download New Routines and Games Bank at www.happyvalley.tv. To get students asking the question, switch roles.

This chant from Happy Valley Student Book 1, Unit 8, introduces the insects and animals found outside near ponds, rivers, and lakes. Do this chant without gestures and then again with the the gestures. Follow that with the It’s a Chant and the It’s a Bee Chant and end with the track Is it a Frog?, which reinforces It’s a and gives practice with the target language Is it a…? Use the gestures or make sounds to role play with your child, guessing which animal is being acted out.

This chant from Happy Valley Student Book 1, Unit 5, follows the Apple Chantby adding the language chunk It’s a. After Storytime, do the Apple Chant, the It’s a Chant and then this chant. Do it a second time with the same gestures you did for the Apple Chant. After, give the students paper and colored pencils. Tell them to draw one of the fruit and then show and tell the class It’s a banana. Do the chant again, using students’ drawings instead of flashcards or the video. Otherwise, check the free-to-download New Routines and Games Bank on www.happyvalley.tv and the free Lesson Plans for game ideas appropriate to the week you are teaching.

This chant from Happy Valley Student Book 1, Unit 5, follows the Apple Chantby adding the language chunk It’s a. After Storytime, do the Apple Chant, the It’s a Chant and then this chant. Do it a second time with the same gestures you did for the Apple Chant. After, give your child paper and colored pencils. Tell them to draw the fruit and then tell you what each one is using the chunk It’s a. Do the chant again, pointing to your child’s drawings.

See Simon in Tokyo on November 18, at the ETJ Book Service International seminar on ‘Materials and Approaches for Teaching Children’! He’ll be presenting on a hybrid approach to teaching reading, and how to start your own school. Sign up here!